Faculty Transitions

Arrivals and departures

Please join us in welcoming...  

Ritesh Mistry, who works in prevention of adolescent substance use in the US and India and Gary Harper, who works in community-based research in the US and Kenya for the prevention of HIV in adolescents.

Dr. Ritesh Mistry

Dr. Gary Harper

Gary Harper will join us as Professor from DePaul University, where he is Professor of Psychology and the founding director of its MPH program. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Harper has developed and evaluated a range of youth-focused prevention programs that promote the health and well-being of adolescents, with a focus on runaway/homeless youth and youth living with HIV. He has conducted research both domestically and internationally, including a current USAID-funded HIV prevention project in Kenya. Dr. Harper has received numerous awards for his teaching, research, and community service, including the 2007 American Psychology Association Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest, as well as De Paul's Excellence in Teaching and Excellence in Public Service Awards.


Ritesh Mistry will join us as Assistant Professor, coming from UCLA School of Public Health, where he is a faculty member in the Department of Health Services. Dr. Mistry has conducted a number of research studies in diverse populations locally and internationally in areas of adolescent tobacco use, physical activity, food choice, and health care utilization. He recently completed a Fulbright Award to study the effects of tobacco control policy implementation on adolescent tobacco use in Mumbai, India. He will be teaching a new course this winter on Alcohol, Tobacco and Drug Use in Adolescence. 

Departures...

Four of our faculty members, Roberto DeVogli, Derek Griffith, Mark Padilla, and Melissa Valerio, were recruited to new positions outside of U-M and will be transitioning into their new roles this summer. We gratefully acknowledge their many contributions to the HBHE Department and wish them well in this new phase of their careers. 

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